The Talent Show
by teddyshoney
Summary: In which Joshua, Liza, and Jasper put on a talent show for Daddy and Papa, and Joshua fears he has no talent. This is written in the same 'verse as A Family By Christmas. WARNING: This story contains mentions of ANXIETY in a MINOR.


They had been watching America's Got Talent. Joshua had heard about it from a friend at school, and he'd come home begging Daddy and Papa to watch it. So, every Tuesday, the five of them would sit down in front of the TV to watch the show before going to bed.

Kurt and Blaine thought the show was great. It introduced the kids to all sorts of talents and talented people, plus it wasn't inappropriate. Usually. It was also fun to watch as each of the kids discovered a favorite act, cheering when their pick moved on to the next round.

However, last Tuesday had been the season finale, and now that it was Tuesday night again, they weren't really sure what to do with themselves. They were all sitting around in the living room trying to entertain themselves, but no one was having much fun. Well, except for maybe Blaine. He had his headphones in and was bopping his head as he surfed the Broadway blogs on his phone.

Suddenly, Liza said, "'m bored!" She stomped her foot and glared at the floor. "I wanna do something!"

Kurt had to bite his lip to keep from grinning at her. She looked so adorable. "What do you want to do?"

"I. Don't. Know!" She stomped with each word. "But I'm boooooooooored!"

Kurt did chuckle this time but quickly schooled his features again. "Whiny girls go to bed," he reminded her sternly.

"I wish America's Got Talent was still on," Joshua huffed from the couch. He had his legs pulled up on the cushion in front of him, and he was playing a video game. Apparently, he wasn't having any fun.

"We can find something else to do," Kurt said, putting down the book he'd been trying to read. "We could play a game or do a craft. I have several-"

"You c'n help me," Jasper announced, stretching his back.

"And just what are you doing, little mister?" Kurt asked his five-year-old son.

"'m makin' a stage," Jasper informed him. "We can have our own 'Merica's Got Talent."

"A talent show is a great idea!" Kurt exclaimed getting up from his chair and bumping Blaine's shoulder. "I'll get Daddy to help me hang up a blanket we can use as the backdrop."

Blaine pulled a headphone out of one ear. "You're interrupting my favorite song," he said, scowling at his husband.

"The kids," Kurt said, ignoring the grumpy face, "want to put on a talent show. I thought we could hang up a blanket for the backdrop."

"Ooooh! Can I be in the talent show?" Blaine called to the three kids standing in the middle of the living room, whispering excitedly to one another.

"Da. Ddy!" Liza was exasperated. "We are the talent! You 'n' Papa gots to be the aud'nce!" Even though Liza was the same age as Jasper, she'd found that everyone thought she was cuter if she didn't quite act her age. However, she was a sassy little thing and certainly smart enough to know how to get her way.

Blaine held up his hands in defeat. "Okay. Okay. Papa and I will be the audience." He grinned at his husband as he followed him down the hallway to the linen closet. "Whose idea was that?" He jerked his thumb back toward the living room.

"Jasper's," Kurt replied, rummaging through the closet for a blanket. "It looked like he'd already been working on a stage using those giant foam blocks we found at that boutique."

Blaine trailed Kurt back down the hallway and into the kitchen to get tacks for the blanket. When Kurt turned from the drawer he was going through, Blaine put on his best pouty face. "I wanna be in the talent show, Papa."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Kurt said and reached out to caress his husband's cheek with a fond smile. "Liza has already spoken. You have to be in the aud'nce."

"No fair," Daddy pouted as they made their way back to the living room.

"Is Daddy complainin' 'bout not bein' in the show?" Jasper asked from where he was arranging his comforter over the foam block stage.

"Yes," Kurt replied as he unfolded the blanket. "Daddy is very sad that he can't be part of the talent show. I think he wants to sing for us." He gave Blaine a wink, handing him a corner of the blanket.

Jasper grinned. "Well, I think you can be in it, Daddy," Jasper told him. "You can be a cel'brity judge and do a special pa'formance at the end!"

"I think you had better talk to Liza," Daddy said. "She already said that I have to be part of the audience. After glancing around, he asked, "Where is Liza anyway?"

"'m right here, Daddy!" Liza said stepping back into the room with her most festive princess dress on. "I was getting all bootyful for my ballerina performance. 'm gonna dance for the talent show!"

"Daddy's gonna sing," Jasper announced, satisfied with the stage. "He's gonna be a cel'brity judge pa'former."

"I don't want him to!" Liza argued, her bottom lip pooching out angrily. "Want him to be part of the aud'nce."

"I will be!" Blaine assured, moving out of the way for Kurt to tack up his end of the blanket behind Jasper's stage. "I'll sing at the end after all of you are done. But, I'll cheer you on first, munchkin."

"Not a munchkin," Liza complained, trying her best to keep up her scowl. "Wiw you help me fix my tiara, Papa?" she asked, walking past Daddy to tug at Kurt's arm.

"Sure, sweetie." Kurt followed behind Liza as she drug him down the hallway toward the bathroom. "Where's Josh?" he called back over his shoulder.

"Um, I think he's in his room," Jasper told Daddy. "I'm going to go get my magic tricks ready." Quickly, he turned on his heel and headed toward his bedroom.

Blaine smiled as he watched him go. Each one of his kids were so different, and it was so much easier to see the distinctions now that they'd had them for nearly three years, officially. Joshua was the most sensitive of the three, which had been a bit of a shock to them at first. But, once they started taking him to counseling and learned about some of the things Josh had experienced in his short life, his reaction was completely understandable. Josh took everything to heart and cried easily. But, with a simple explanation from Daddy or Papa and a few comforting words, he'd be back to his energetic self in no time.

Jasper was the most somber of the group. Almost everything that came out of his mouth was matter of fact, and he could almost always be found with his nose in a book. He loved to learn, so Kurt was constantly taking him to the library or finding educational videos for Jasper to watch. He asked questions about everything and, for the most part, tended to be the peacemaker of the group. He was levelheaded and rarely caused the conflict though he almost always finished it.

Liza was definitely a drama queen. Nearly everything set her off; Kurt and Blaine were each secretly terrified of her teenage years. She could be sweet when she wanted to, but mostly she was just grumpy, set off by not getting her way or some other perceived injustice. She was almost always trying to manipulate someone into doing something for her, and it was the thing that got her into trouble the most. But, if Blaine was being honest, despite his reservations about her growing up with this already monstrous attitude, he wouldn't have it any other way. His family was perfect, despite its imperfections.

Quietly, Blaine padded toward Joshua's room, expecting to find him inside getting ready for the talent show. However, when he poked his head into the room, Blaine found him sitting on his bed, head in his hands, his shoulders shaking softly as he cried into his knees. "Josh, honey, what's wrong?" Daddy asked, coming into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around the boy.

Josh didn't respond, instead crying harder.

"Josh, tell me what's wrong sweetie. I want to help." Blaine rubbed his hand up and down the boy's back gently, waiting for the tears to pass. Something their therapist had told them was not to pressure Josh into talking about his feelings. He would open up naturally, but if he felt pushed, he'd shove his feelings aside, insisting that he was okay. So, Blaine waited, silently rubbing his back and whispering, "Shh," over and over again.

Eventually, Josh rubbed at his eyes, straightening his back and sniffling a few times.

"Feel better now?" Daddy asked.

Josh nodded.

"Can you tell me what's wrong, bud?"

"I'm not talented," Josh whispered as though he didn't want anyone else to hear his secret.

"What do you mean you aren't talented?" Blaine asked, shocked. "You are very talented!"

"'m not as good as you or Papa. Even Liza and Jasper are better 'n me."

"Well, Papa and I have had a lot more practice than you. And practice, you'll be better than us." He tried to smile at his son, but Josh wasn't biting. "Why do you think Liza and Jasper are more talented than you? There are a lot of things you can do that they can't."

"Jasper's doing magic. I don't know any magic tricks. Liza's dancing. You're singing. There's nothing left for me to do."

"Did someone say that you can't repeat talents?" Blaine had a suspicion he knew who may have said something like that, but he wanted to be sure he was on the right track.

Josh sighed. "Liza said repeating is cheating." He smacked his hand against the bed. "She's so bossy, Daddy!"

"I know," Blaine sympathized. "She's wrong, though. Repeating isn't cheating. Lots of people are good singers, lots of people are good dancers, and lots of people are good magicians. If there was only one singer or dancer or magician, it would be pretty boring, wouldn't it."

The little boy was silent for a moment, thinking. "Will she get mad if I sing, Daddy?"

"If she does, you should just ignore her. Papa and I will deal with it."

"What will I deal with?" came Papa's voice from the doorway. "Is everything okay back here?"

Blaine nodded. "We were just talking about what song Josh was going to sing." He squeezed Josh's shoulders.

"Are you sure she won't get mad?" Josh asked, looking up at Blaine for the first time since he'd come into his room.

"Positive," Blaine reassured. "Now, what song do you want to sing?"

Josh smiled mischievously. "I can't tell you," he said, hopping up from the bed. "You and Papa need to leave so I can get ready! I don't want Liza and Jasp thinking that I'm getting favors from the celebrity judges!"

"We're going! We're going!" Blaine held up his hands as he backed out of the room.

"Everything okay in there?" Kurt whispered as they headed back to the living room.

"Fine," Blaine assured him. "He was just having a little bit of anxiety because Liza told him that he couldn't repeat a talent, so he thought he wasn't talented."

Kurt looked shocked. "Liza is out of control."

"And we'll deal with that after the talent show. Right now, we need to be the celebrity judges for our kids. Are you ready for that Celebrity Judge Papa?"

"I suppose," Kurt said, taking a seat on the couch. "Who's the first talent?" he asked.

Jasper went first, impressing the celebrity judges with his card tricks and disappearing coin trick. Then it was Liza's turn. She chose to dance with no music, spinning and leaping across the makeshift stage to a tune in her own head. Joshua went last, claiming he needed a lot of time to prepare his song. When he took the stage, he asked Papa to hit play on the radio and the sweet sounds of "I Dreamed a Dream" filtered out of the speakers. He sang it better than Daddy and Papa had ever heard him sing it, so they clapped wildly when he was finished.

"We need some time to deliberate," Daddy said when the final notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" faded away. "All the performers should go to their dressing rooms and change while the judges talk." When all the kids had left the room, he turned to Kurt. "What do you think?"

"I think that I'm not going to pick a favorite child tonight," Kurt snorted, leaning back into the couch cushions and crossing his legs.

"No, I know that! But we should give them some sort of prize," Blaine insisted.

"We have popsicles," Kurt offered. "We could give them each a popsicle."

"Okay, but they need a category, like most creative or..." He trailed off, thinking.

Then, they heard a small whine from behind them. "Are you ready yet?" Liza asked.

Blaine glanced at Kurt who mouthed, "You do it." Blaine nodded. "We're ready. We need all the performers back to the stage for the awards," he said loudly.

Josh, Jasper, and Liza trooped back onto the stage and stood facing their parents, waiting.

Blaine cleared his throat. "It was a touch decision, but we've come to a conclusion." He paused, looking at each of his kids before continuing. "For the first award, I'd like to..." he stopped, noticing Kurt walking back into the living room with three popsicles. "I'd like to present a popsicle to Josh for best musical performance."

This brought a scowl to Liza's face. "No. Fair," she stomped.

Blaine ignored her and went on. "I'd like to present a popsicle to Jasper for most astonishing performance. And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to present a popsicle to Liza for best creative performance." He grinned wide as he handed each of the kids a popsicle. "Congratualtions," he said as he handed over each one.

"Thank you," they all said, bowing low.

"Now, for your entertainment, I will sing a rendition of my favorite song." He waited for the kids to clear the stage, taking seats next to Papa on the couch. Once he was sure they were all settled in, he cleared his throat and began, "Baby shark, doo doo-"

"Daddy, no!" They all shouted at once. "Don't sing that song!"

But, Blaine would not be deterred. Despite all the boos and shouting coming from the couch, he sang the entire song, dancing wildly across the stage as he did so. When he was finished, he bowed low and went to stand in front of the couch. "Where's my popsicle?" he asked.

"You don't get one," Kurt told him, trying to look stern but failing miserably. As much as he disliked that song, it was hilarious watching his husband torture their children with it.

"But, I performed, too! Don't I get a popsicle for best annoying performance?" He put on his best show face, but when he got no response, he tried puppy eyes instead. "Please?"

"I don't know. Kids, what do you think? Should Daddy get a popsicle for his performance?"

All the kids were silent for a moment, but finally, Jasper broke the silence. "Just get him a popsicle, Papa! Please! I hate it when he makes that face!"

Everyone burst out laughing, and Kurt headed toward the kitchen to get them both a popsicle. When everyone had finished their treat, however, he stood and shooed them all back to their rooms to get ready for bed. "It's past your bedtime, and it's a school night. Make sure you brush your teeth!"

They supervised all the kids getting ready for bed and decided to forgo bedtime stories since it was already so late. With a peck on the forehead and wishes of sweet dreams, they turned out the lights and left bedroom doors cracked as they walked back out to the living room hand in hand. They settled themselves onto the couch, Blaine snuggling into Kurt's side.

"We didn't talk with Liza," Blaine said after a while.

"I know. I'm not sure there was really a good way to talk to her about it," Kurt mused. "I think we need to just make sure we are talking to her every time she does that so it doesn't become an unchecked habit." He ran the back of one hand across Blaine's cheek. "Who knew that our little princess would be the handful?"

Blaine chuckled, sitting up and planting a kiss on his husband's cheek. "I knew. She's been sassy as long as we've had her. It's our job to make sure she doesn't end up sassy." He kissed Kurt again. "But I'm ready for bed. Care to join me?" He stood up and offered Kurt his hand.

"Gladly. I'm exhausted. It's hard being a celebrity judge."

"I thought you'd love it," Blaine teased as they walked into their bedroom. "You've always loved being the star."

"That can be your job," Kurt yawned, climbing into bed. "Plus, I don't need to be a celebrity judge if I get to sleep with one!" He gave Blaine a chaste kiss before switching off his lamp, snuggling into his husband's side.

Blaine giggled as he wrapped his arm around his husband, pulling him close. "Whatever you say, Mr. Ander-Hummel."

"Damn right."


End file.
